The Life Course Food Insecurity and Dementia Risk Study uses secondary data analysis to examine whether markers of food insecurity, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility, across the life course are prospectively related to dementia risk and cognitive decline. This study leverages data from two nationally representative data sets—the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1979 cohort (NLSY79).
Why is this study important?
Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. Food insecurity is common among U.S. children and adults, which could influence Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Related Dementias (ADRD) via multiple mechanisms. Yet, food insecurity is a modifiable target that could aid in ADRD prevention.
Who else is part of the team?
Anusha Vable (MPH, ScD) is the Co-Principal Investigator on the Life Course Food Insecurity and Dementia Risk Study. She is a social epidemiologist and Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis who studies how social and economic systems affect people’s health, especially as they age. She uses statistical tools from epidemiology and techniques developed in other disciplines, such as economics and genetics, to explore how factors such as education, income and job type over the life course influence health outcomes.
How is this study funded?
This study is supported by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG079202).
